Vanderbilt » practice reporthttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt
The TennesseanThu, 13 Mar 2014 22:16:58 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6Practice Report: Passing game makes strides; Franklin addresses QBshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2012/08/08/practice-report-passing-game-makes-strides-franklin-addresses-qbs/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2012/08/08/practice-report-passing-game-makes-strides-franklin-addresses-qbs/#commentsThu, 09 Aug 2012 00:41:11 +0000Jeff Lockridgehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/?p=2221Vanderbilt’s sixth football practice and second in full pads on Wednesday evening featured progress in the passing game and the most 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 action we’ve seen this preseason.

The separation between quarterback Jordan Rodgers, the returning and projected starter, and Austyn Carta-Samuels was as noticeable as it has been at any point in the last week.

“I think so,” Coach James Franklin said. “I think Austyn has really good arm talent and is a very good player. I think he’s his own worst enemy right now because when he makes a mistake, he’s hard on himself … too hard on himself. You have to have a short memory playing the quarterback position. You have to learn from it. You have to learn from whatever happened, but you have to move on.”

Franklin liked what he saw in the short passing game with Rodgers. However, the stars of the offense were the young tight ends: Dillon van der Wal, Kris Kentera and Steven Scheu. Van der Wal made a plethora of short and mid-range catches that he turned into nice gains during the “thud” practice (no tackling).

“I thought the 7-on-7s, we started out really strong,” Franklin said. “Especially with Rodgers, he threw a bunch of completions. We’re starting to understand concepts better and how to run routes. Last year we would run the route exactly the same way whether it was zone (defense), whether it was man, whether it was pressure. Your route needs to change for all those situations and we’re starting to kind of understand those concepts.”

Van der Wal’s best catch was a one-handed, back-shoulder grab against a double-team that went for roughly 25 yards.

“I worked hard today,” van der Wal said. “Jordan made great throws. Austyn made great throws. They make it easy to catch the ball when they put it right on you.

“They’re putting a lot more emphasis on the tight end this year coming out and running routes. Kentera with his speed really helps with stretching the defense and running routes, and getting out and beating coverages. I think all of us together create a natural problem for defenses.”

Rodgers spoke after practice about his thoughts on advancements in the short passing game.

“We’re taking the gimmes when they’re there, and most importantly we’re having guys make plays after the short passes,” Rodgers said. “We saw J-Matt (Jordan Matthews) turn a hitch down the sideline into who knows how many yards he got after that. That’s the kind of plays we need. We struggled a little bit on our downfield passing game, our medium-range. It’s really just our reads. My decision-making needs to be a little faster in some of those.”

The final set of 11-on-11 work served as a situational scrimmage of sorts to see which unit – offense or defense – would have to run wind sprints.

When the first-stringers were on the field (minus the 8-10 key contributors who are in red injury jerseys and avoiding contact), the offense enjoyed the advantage. But the defense won out convincingly once the twos and threes took the field, leaving the offense to do the running.

3rd-and-3 – Carta-Samuels incomplete downfield to John Cole, who was covered.

During 11-on-11s and 7-on-7s in the earlier part of practice, a few highlights that stood out included: a middle screen to Kentera that could have gone for 30-plus yards; a hitch that Jordan Matthews would have taken for an 80-yard touchdown when Kenny Ladler broke for the interception and missed; a 25-yard interception return for a score by Steven Clarke off a wounded-duck pass from a pressured Patton Robinette; a slow-developing but well-executed screen play to Warren Norman that could have gone for 30-40 yards; several nice catches by van der Wal; and great speed displayed from Kimbrow on a run where he got to the edge and turned on the jets.

It’s worth noting that true freshman Caleb Azubike of McGavock continues to look terrific in position drills where he can utilize his pass-rushing skills coming off the edge.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2012/08/08/practice-report-passing-game-makes-strides-franklin-addresses-qbs/feed/0Vanderbilt’s Liberty Bowl practice report for Wednesdayhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/12/28/vanderbilts-liberty-bowl-practice-report-for-wednesday/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/12/28/vanderbilts-liberty-bowl-practice-report-for-wednesday/#commentsThu, 29 Dec 2011 02:33:45 +0000Jeff Lockridgehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/?p=1959MEMPHIS – The Vanderbilt Commodores held a fairly condensed and very loose practice on a crisp but perfect Wednesday at Memphis University School in preparation for Saturday’s AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Cincinnati.

That would be loose in terms of nerves, not necessarily execution.

“Really just like we normally do, a normal Wednesday for us, flying around, having fun, enjoying ourselves, getting prepared for the game,” said Vanderbilt Coach James Franklin, who added that his players have been able to balance good times and the business of a bowl trip.

After practice, players boarded the team bus and headed to one of three venues: the FedEx Forum for the Grizzlies-Thunder game, the AgriCenter Show Place for the rodeo, or back to their hotel rooms for rest at The Peabody.

There was a plethora of entertaining plays in practice, and here are a few highlights worth noting:

* Tight end Brandon Barden caught a nicely thrown ball from Jordan Rodgers on a deep seam route up the middle for what would have been at least a 40-yard gain against the scout-team defense.

* Chris Boyd channeled his inner Jerome Simpson and did a front flip in the end zone after scoring a touchdown in practice. Simpson, a Cincinnati Bengals receiver, stuck the landing while flipping over an Arizona Cardinals defender on his jaw-dropping play last weekend. There was no defender in front of Boyd, nor did Boyd complete the full flip (although he got close). But it was a fun move, assuming he didn’t injure himself.

* Fellow receiver Jordan Matthews dropped a would-be touchdown on a post route, but came back later in practice to make a beautiful fingertip catch in the front corner of the end zone.

* Derek King, a freshman cornerback from Brentwood Academy who is redshirting this season, read a telegraphed quick hitch pattern and intercepted Rodgers for a would-be pick six. At the end of practice with the entire team watching, King lined up in one-on-one coverage against freshman receiver Jacquese Kirk (also redshirting) for what amounted to a one-play, winner-take-all challenge on a deep go route. Kirk had a slight step on King but couldn’t reel in the catch, and King was congratulated by the defense.

* Andrew Bridges and Josh Jelesky continue to work as starters on the offensive line along with mainstays Wesley Johnson, Ryan Seymour and Kyle Fischer. Johnson snapped a few balls high in the shotgun, including one over the head of backup QB Larry Smith, and heard about it from line coach Herb Hand.

Earlier in the day, defensive coordinator Bob Shoop and players Chris Marve, Casey Hayward, Rob Lohr and Tim Fugger met the media at a press conference. Much of what they had to say can be read in my Friday story. Among the central topics of conversation: creating turnovers vs. a Cincinnati team that is plus-11 in that category this season, and how to handle Bearcats QB Zach Collaros and RB Isaiah Pead.

A Cincinnati team rep informed the media Wednesday that Collaros was suffering from a touch of the flu and could not attend the press conference, but he would practice. The Bearcats will name a starting quarterback after Thursday’s practice.

When Collaros’ condition was mentioned, Franklin didn’t seem overly optimistic that Cincinnati’s top signal caller would miss a beat. “Yeah, there’s all kinds of stories,” Franklin said. “He’ll be ready to play. The flu, the ankle … none of those things are going to stop him.”

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/12/28/vanderbilts-liberty-bowl-practice-report-for-wednesday/feed/6Wednesday football practice and injury reporthttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/11/02/wednesday-football-practice-and-injury-report/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/11/02/wednesday-football-practice-and-injury-report/#commentsThu, 03 Nov 2011 02:17:54 +0000Jeff Lockridgehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/?p=1891Vanderbilt starting outside linebacker Chase Garnham remains questionable for the Florida game on Saturday after missing the Arkansas game with an injury.

Garnham was dressed for practice on Wednesday but was not working with the first unit, instead watching from the sideline as the defense worked against the scout team.

Al Owens, who started last week, worked with the first unit during the portion of practice open to the media. Coach James Franklin has not addressed the specifics of Garnham’s injury, though it has clearly hampered his mobility.

“Same deal,” Franklin said. “He’s been limited still. Hopeful that he’ll be able to go on Saturday, but don’t know that for sure yet.”

On a more positive note, defensive tackle T.J. Greenstone is back on the practice field. He has been out with a left ankle injury since getting hurt in the Alabama game. It still seems doubtful he will play this week, but a return in the near future is likely.

“He’s telling me he’s ready to go. The trainers are a little bit more cautious at this point,” Franklin said. “But we’re hoping to have him on Saturday. I know it’s very important to him and he wants to be out there with the guys.”

Defensive tackle Vince Taylor (left ankle) is the most promising of the questionable guys, Franklin said.

“I think Vince is a little bit further ahead than all those guys,” Franklin said. “I would expect him to go, but yeah, he’s still being evaluated.”

Kicker TBD: Franklin was not ready to declare a starter in the placekicking competition after Wednesday’s practice. Carey Spear and Ryan Fowler are competing for field-goal duties after Spear missed a 27-yarder with eight seconds left against Arkansas that would have forced overtime.

Gator gimpy: Florida tailback Chris Rainey, the team’s leading rusher (526 yards) and receiver (305 yards), has been dealing with a sprained ankle suffered in first half of the Georgia game and had not practice this week prior to Wednesday.

On Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, Florida Coach Will Muschamp described Rainey, who has been in a protective boot, as “probable to questionable” for the Vanderbilt game.

Despondent QB: It’s already been a rough season for Florida quarterback John Brantley, who missed the LSU and Auburn games with a sprained right ankle. Brantley returned to the lineup last week, and Muschamp that said his senior took the 24-20 loss very hard.

“He was really hurting mentally,” Muschamp said. “He’s fought through adversity and handled it like a true, class person does. To see him hurt like that was very disappointing for me.”

Swamp things: Franklin said the fact that Vanderbilt’s last and only win in Gainesville occurred 66 years ago would not be a subject of significance or motivation this week.

“We don’t talk about things like that,” he said. “It’s not a focus for us. Where we’re out as a program, every week is a significant win for us.”

More noise: Per Vanderbilt’s weekly routine for road games, Franklin had loud noise and music piped through the practice-field speakers on Wednesday, including the Gators’ fight song.

Discount: Tickets for the Nov. 12 home finale against Kentucky, an 11:21 a.m. kickoff, are available for $35 with a canned food donation made at McGugin Center at the time of the purchase. That’s $15 off the usual price of $50 for SEC home games. Donations will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/11/02/wednesday-football-practice-and-injury-report/feed/73Vanderbilt football Wednesday practice report and noteshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/09/14/vanderbilt-football-wednesday-practice-report-and-notes/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/09/14/vanderbilt-football-wednesday-practice-report-and-notes/#commentsThu, 15 Sep 2011 01:37:17 +0000Jeff Lockridgehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/?p=1807Vanderbilt Coach James Franklin labeled a pair of key offensive players “hopeful” for the Ole Miss game and had his third-string quarterback working with the receivers at practice on Wednesday night.

Decisions on starting tight end Brandon Barden (ankle) and running back Warren Norman (knee) will come closer to game time, Franklin indicated. Barden took some reps during the first part of practice while Norman worked off to the side by himself doing agility drills.

Meanwhile, freshman quarterback Josh Grady is now lining up at receiver. He caught one deep pass in the last half hour of practice (that was open to the media) and appears to be working in at the slot position along with John Cole, Wesley Tate and others. Franklin said the position change does not impact his status as the No. 3 quarterback.

Also, Franklin said that receivers Chris Boyd and Jordan Matthews “are both starting” this week. The depth chart in Vanderbilt’s weekly notes showed Boyd had moved from second team to first and Matthews from first to second.

The first-string units practiced against scout teams on Wednesday with the Rebels coming to town for an 11:21 a.m. kickoff Saturday at Vanderbilt Stadium. The offense got in a good bit of goal-line work. Larry Smith was in a regular gold QB jersey – no red injury jersey was used this week as a precaution like it was last week.

On defense, sophomore defensive back Karl Butler seemed to be logging a high number of reps with other starters on the field. But with both starting cornerback and safety spots accounted for, the majority of his workload should continue to come in nickel packages or when he relieves one of the starters in the rotation. Nevertheless, Butler looks good.

Here is some of what Franklin had to say after practice:

Coach James Franklin

On Josh Grady’s move to receiver …

CJF: “Not a permanent move. Just trying to get as many guys as we possibly can to help the team. I know ever since I really arrived on campus, people have talked about depth. We want to recruit and take advantage of the versatility we have with our players. If Josh can help us at wideout … we’ve also brought Jacquese Kirk up (from defensive back to receiver) and we’ll see if he can do some things for us as well. So the more flexibility that we can create on our team to create depth, however we have to, we’re going to do it.”

On whether Grady remains the No. 3 QB …

CJF: “Yes. Very much so.”

On WR Chris Boyd’s performance through two games …

CJF: “Boyd has done great. He’s probably played better in a game than his camp. He had some issues during camp, but he’s played well. When your first four catches, three of them go for touchdowns, I’d say that’s pretty good. That’s allowed us to have a little bit more depth. It’s also going to give us some flexibility to move some guys around as well because with him and Jordan (Matthews) both playing them same position (out wide), we’ve got to find ways to get them all on the field. But I’ve been pleased with him.”

On whether Boyd or Matthews is starting this week …

CJF: “Boyd and Matthews are both starting.”

On Barden’s status with the sprained ankle …

CJF: “He was out here. He had to go back in (for the latter half of practice) with a couple of guys, they had a study group session tonight. We’ll see. He didn’t take every single rep tonight, but he did take some reps. I’m hopeful. I’m hopeful. He was able to take some limited reps tonight and we’ll see. We’ll make that decision hopefully after Thursday’s practice and have a better idea.”

On Norman not practicing with the offense but doing agility drills on the side …

CJF: “He’s doing good. What we’ve tried to do with him is instead of going every single day, we go every other day with him and take some days where we’re doing some strength and conditioning things like that. And then other days when he’s taking all the reps in practice. Same deal. I feel actually pretty good abut his chances, so we’ll see.”

TE Mason Johnston

On Barden and the tight end position for the Ole Miss game …

“Barden’s going to play if he can. We’re pretty sure he’s going to play. From an overall unit, we’ve got a good mix of veterans and young guys (at tight end). I think we’re going to be good. Ole Miss is a tough and talented team and we’ve been preparing for them. We’re going to be ready.”

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/09/14/vanderbilt-football-wednesday-practice-report-and-notes/feed/182Practice report: Vanderbilt looks to avoid lull as camp continueshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/08/17/practice-report-vanderbilt-looks-to-avoid-lull-as-camp-continues/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/08/17/practice-report-vanderbilt-looks-to-avoid-lull-as-camp-continues/#commentsWed, 17 Aug 2011 18:06:11 +0000Jeff Lockridgehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/?p=1750Vanderbilt football players have apparently reached the proverbial dog days of camp two weeks in, and Coach James Franklin is hoping to avoid a lull.

Franklin, whose corrective teachings typically target the offense, laid into the defense on a few occasions during the first of two Wednesday practices.

He huddled the defense to express his disappointment after running back Zac Stacy broke a 70-yard touchdown run without being touched and pursued down the field.

“I saw three guys that were chasing him,” Franklin said. “They didn’t go all out to the goal line. There was a time they didn’t feel like they were going to catch him and they gave into it. That’s not how we’re going to do things around here.

“The running back could fumble the football. You never know. Stranger things have happened. I want our players to feel like they can catch anybody. That’s how we’re going to practice. That’s how we’re going to play. And I’m not going to tolerate it from anybody.”

Franklin later called for Colt Nichter to replace T.J. Greenstone at defensive tackle during a no-huddle, 11-on-11 drill and added, in a loud voice, that Greenstone will play “when he earns. I’m sick of babying him.”

“It’s a wake-up call for everybody,” Franklin said after practice. “You better come and you better be ready to play every single day. I love them all. I have tremendous respect for T.J. Greenstone. I have tremendous respect for Chris Marve, Larry (Smith) … all those guys that have played here in the past.

“But their job is to come out here on this field no different than it’s going to be for the rest of their life. They’re going to have to wake up every single morning and go earn it.”

Here are some other notes from practice:

– Offensive guard Mylon Brown shed his red injury jersey and was back in a white jersey, although he didn’t work with the first unit. Guard Jabo Burrow, who collapsed last week running sprints, remains out. Josh Jelesky and Caleb Welchans worked primarily with the first unit at the guard positions.

– Running back Warren Norman was back in a red jersey. He practiced at close to full speed in a white jersey on Monday and Tuesday after missing some time last week with knee soreness. Freshman tailback Jerron Seymour has also been limited while in red this week with an apparent leg issue.

Stacy continues to work with the first team and looks as fast and as healthy as he did two years ago when he initially won the starting job over Norman when both were freshmen.

– The team went in its usual attire – shoulder pads and shorts – while limiting contact once again. Only a couple of practices have included full pads and tackling. The Commodores should get to experience that again on Saturday night during their second scrimmage of camp.

Franklin said on Wednesday that it’s not essential to be in full pads, and that keeping everyone healthy on a thin roster is a chief concern.

“I don’t think you have to go to the ground to necessarily teach how to tackle,” he said. “You have to do it some, and we did it some. But we’ll see. Right now I’m very comfortable with how we’re practicing and how we’re doing things.”

– Highlights from practice included Stacy’s aforementioned run, interceptions by Karl Butler and Tristan Strong, and a successful deep pass from Jordan Rodgers to Jonathan Krause. A good bit of the focus was on run offense and run defense.

– Franklin continues to pipe in noise over speakers that were brought out to the practice field to get both units accustomed to the crowd noise they will hear on Saturdays.

“Really it was one of the thousand notes that I had as an assistant coach,” he said. “I felt like a lot of times (in camp) you waited to late to do that. That causes stress for the offense. That causes stress for the defense from a communication standpoint.

“I felt like at times in my career, we waited till wait to late in camp to introduce noise, and then you struggle with it. You’re on the road with a young time for the first time in a new system … you don’t want that to happen. So we’re going to work on it so we’re going to be prepared for it.”

– Reminder: Single-game tickets are on sale for Vanderbilt football games (615-322-GOLD or vucommodores.com). Tickets for the Sept. 3 opener against Elon are $12. There will be a fireworks show after the 6:30 p.m. game.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/08/17/practice-report-vanderbilt-looks-to-avoid-lull-as-camp-continues/feed/28Practice report: Offense makes plays, James Franklin levels playerhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/08/16/practice-report-offense-makes-plays-james-franklin-levels-player/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/08/16/practice-report-offense-makes-plays-james-franklin-levels-player/#commentsTue, 16 Aug 2011 05:03:55 +0000Jeff Lockridgehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/?p=1743Vanderbilt practiced in shoulder pads and shorts in both sessions of two-a-days Monday as Coach James Franklin continued to minimize contact through the first week and a half of camp.

Franklin participated as a quarterback during a full period of practice against his defense, something that is becoming a somewhat familiar sight.

After Franklin was intercepted by LB Archibald Barnes on a pass over the middle, the coach gave chase toward the front left pylon as Barnes attempted to return the pick for a score. Sophomore DB Andre Hal was shielding Barnes when Franklin – not wearing any pads, mind you – put two arms into Hal and sent him flying out of bounds. It was a priceless moment.

“I didn’t know who it was (I hit),” Franklin said. “I was trying to find out who it was. It was fun. It was fun to get out there and compete with them and fly around and show them how competitive that we’re all going to be in this program … everyone.”

Here are some additional notes:

– Franklin referred to Monday as the “best day that we’ve had” in camp from an offensive standpoint.

“The other thing is when you’re not in full pads and the defense can’t just tilt … it’s a little bit different,” he added. “But, I thought we’re making some plays right now on both sides of the ball. I think the defense is doing a great job of running to the ball, and because of that we’re creating interceptions.”

– With left guard Jabo Burrow and right guard Mylon Brown in red injury jerseys – Burrow collapsed running sprints last Friday and Brown’s issue is undisclosed – Caleb Welchans (LG) and Josh Jelesky (RG) lined up with the first-unit offense on Monday.

– At one stage of the evening practice during a two-minute drill with no defense on the field, receivers John Cole and Udom Umoh joined Jordan Matthews, clearly the No. 1 receiver as this stage, on the first unit. That was a mild surprise to see Jonathan Krause not in the group, and may have had something to do with him running 70 yards for a touchdown moments earlier, or it may be that this was Krause’s first day out of a red jersey after getting shaken up late last week.

– In addition to Krause, DE Walker May was going through some light position drills for the first time in camp despite still wearing red. WR Chris Boyd ditched his red jersey and rejoined the receiving unit. Freshman RB Jerron Seymour was in red for the first time and had a wrap on his left leg but still got in a little work.

– There was a good scuffle near the end of the evening practice between backup DL Barron Dixon and backup C Jose Valedon. DE Thad McHaney also jumped into the fray to back up his defensive teammate, Franklin said. Franklin “ejected” all three players from the drill, but after practice said he loves that kind of fighting and spirit among his players. Look for more on this in my Wednesday notebook.

– While the morning practice was heavy on red-zone work, the evening practice focused on the passing game and implementing more facets of the offense. Matthews made his usual plethora of nice catches and Warren Norman (knee) looked a bit more nimble at running back. Zac Stacy continues to be the No. 1 back and was used in many formations Monday. Cornerback Trey Wilson seemed to be in the middle of a lot of plays on defense, breaking up a screen to Matthews and picking off a couple of passes.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/08/16/practice-report-offense-makes-plays-james-franklin-levels-player/feed/30Practice report: Norman goes, Smith separates himself in two-a-dayshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/08/11/practice-report-norman-goes-smith-separates-himself-in-two-a-days/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/08/11/practice-report-norman-goes-smith-separates-himself-in-two-a-days/#commentsThu, 11 Aug 2011 17:19:17 +0000Jeff Lockridgehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/?p=1735Vanderbilt junior tailback Warren Norman was back in the lineup as the Commodores knocked out their first of two football practices on Thursday.

Norman, who has soreness in his knee and continues to wear a brace, got a good number of reps after being sidelined for Wednesday’s practice. Vanderbilt worked out for nearly two hours in shoulder pads and shorts before diving into the post-practice ice baths – Coach James Franklin included.

Here is a synopsis of practice:

– Franklin said that Larry Smith had a good practice and that his senior signal caller is starting to “separate himself a little bit from the pack” in the quarterback competition. “In the same hand, Jordan (Rodgers) has only had so many live reps,” Franklin added.

While Franklin wants to see how the quarterbacks react in scrimmages, there is no doubt at this point that Smith is in line to be the starter on Sept. 3 against Elon.

– Asked how he thought the Commodores did in their first practice of the day, Franklin responded favorably. “I thought we practiced very well,” he said. “I think we’ve improved dramatically from the spring. We still have a long way to go. But I thought we improved dramatically.

“I thought we threw the ball much better today for a higher completion percentage and also made some big plays. I also think it showed some maturity knowing this was two-a-days, and they still came out and practiced real well. Sometimes a young and inexperienced team will come out in a two-a-day and they’ll gear it down and they’ll try to control themselves a little, try to save themselves for the second practice. We didn’t do that today.”

– In addition to taking part in the ice baths, Franklin, a former college QB, took part in practice by throwing some passes during live “skeleton” drills. One of Franklin’s passes was intercepted by linebacker Robby Barbieri – a topic of laughs after the session.

“That wasn’t very good,” a smiling Franklin said of his turnover. “I’ve got to get loose and I’ve got to read the coverage better. I told Barbieri (that) I was trying to build his confidence. But it was, more or less, my abilities are going down and down every day.”

– Numbers were limited due to the absence of freshman players, who have classes in the morning. Summer classes conclude on Friday.

– Sophomore receiver Jordan Matthews made several more nice catches, including an inside screen that he would have broken for a huge gain in live action. He has, for all practical purposes, separated himself as the primary big-play threat and go-to weapon in this offense. Fellow receiver Jonathan Krause and tight end Brandon Barden are next on that list in the passing game.

– Franklin spent a little bit of practice looking at kickoff coverage on special teams.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/08/11/practice-report-norman-goes-smith-separates-himself-in-two-a-days/feed/22Practice report: Vanderbilt hesitant as defense dominates in full padshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/08/10/practice-report-vanderbilt-hesitant-as-defense-dominates-in-full-pads/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/2011/08/10/practice-report-vanderbilt-hesitant-as-defense-dominates-in-full-pads/#commentsThu, 11 Aug 2011 04:10:38 +0000Jeff Lockridgehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/vanderbilt/?p=1729Vanderbilt Coach James Franklin was forgiving of a little hesitation and trepidation after his team’s practice on Wednesday.

But from this point on, he wants players flying around the field at full speed.

“It was a little more hesitant than I’d like it to be,”Franklin said of the fifth workout of camp. “For the first time being in (full) pads, we were a little reserved.”

The only live action with tackling occurred at the end during goal-line drills. From inside the 5, the offense scored on three of nine plays, including play-action passes from Larry Smith to Brandon Barden and Josh Grady to Steven Scheu.

The defense stuffed five of six run attempts and tackle Colt Nichter recovered a fumbled exchange between Smith and center Wesley Johnson. Zac Stacy scored on the one run play that produced a hole.

Here were some other highlights:

– Franklin acknowledged it’s “fair” to say that Josh Grady has the lead among the three freshman quarterbacks (Lafonte Thourogood, Kris Kentera) vying for the third spot on the depth chart. Grady seems to be catching on quickly and throws a nice, hard ball.

At one point, he was working behind Smith with the offense while Jordan Rodgers and the other freshmen performed drills on the other field (though I wouldn’t read too much into that). If this keeps up, don’t be shocked if Grady winds up pushing Rodgers for the No. 2 spot at some point this year.

– During 11-on-11 skeleton drills that focused on the passing game, Eddie Foster had an interception of Smith and Jonathan Krause took the end-around and completed a long pass to Jordan Matthews.

– Tristan Strong helped his case for a starting linebacker position alongside Chris Marve and probably Chase Garnham, whose spot is looking more and more secure. Strong seemed to fill the run gaps well and made a nifty one-handed interception of Rodgers near the end of practice. Archibald Barnes also is in the mix for a starting spot.

– Franklin said that he will be done with the “instillation” of his system about the middle to end of next week, after which he will have a better idea of who lands starting positions.

“We’re starting to get a decent feel for that right now, but I still think it’s too early to tell until we’ve had some scrimmages and see how the guys react to that,” Franklin said.